Land without planning permission wanted in St Austell
We want to hear from owners of land without planning permission in St Austell. There is nothing to pay us, and you are under no obligation.
Having no planning permission does not rule land out. Many good development sites start as fields or yards with no consent. We look at local policy, access and constraints, then explain the options, including deals where we take on the planning work.

- Size
- Any
- Planning
- None yet
- Areas
- England & Wales
- Ways we buy
- Conditional, option or JV
Land without planning permission we are looking for in St Austell
Near St Austell, land without planning is worth discussing where it adjoins existing homes or has been put forward to the council's plan. St Austell is in Cornwall, about 13 miles north-east of Truro. Nearby places include Bodmin, Truro and Newquay.
- Land the owner has put forward to a local plan or call for sites
- Plots within towns and villages that have never been built on
- Land where a previous application was refused for reasons that could be overcome
- Land of any size, including single plots
Cornwall has no Green Belt, but landscape designation is extensive: the Cornwall National Landscape covers large stretches of coast and countryside, alongside the Tamar Valley and Isles of Scilly National Landscapes. Settlements are dispersed, from Truro, Camborne, Redruth and St Austell to many small coastal and inland villages. Sites coming forward are often edge-of-settlement fields, farm buildings, former mining and china clay land, and rural exception sites for local needs.
Before we make an offer in St Austell
Policy direction
National and local policy decides how a fresh application would be judged, so we read both before advising.
Who pays for planning
Applications, surveys and reports cost money; on conditional and option deals we normally pay for them up front, and any costs deducted from the price are agreed and capped.
Timescale
Getting permission can take months or years; we are honest about that from the start.
Where an English council cannot show a five-year supply of housing land, or its Housing Delivery Test result falls below 75%, the August 2026 NPPF can give policy support to suitable housing outside settlement boundaries.
Cornwall has no designated Green Belt, so the main policy questions near St Austell are usually the settlement boundary, landscape and access.
Though we are based in Birmingham (roughly 196 miles away), distance is no barrier: we look at land across England and Wales.
Choosing how to sell
Outright purchase
Possible where we are comfortable taking the planning risk ourselves.
Outright purchaseSubject-to-planning contract
The most common route: we fund the application and complete once permission is granted.
Subject-to-planning contractOption agreement
You grant us the right to buy within a set period, usually for an option premium, while we pursue planning.
Option agreementJoint venture
For owners who want a bigger share of the upside in return for more risk.
Joint ventureHow a sale to us works
Get in touch
Tell us where the land is and what you know about it.
Site review
We look at the land, its planning position and anything that could affect it.
Proposal
We put our proposal in writing, with no obligation to accept.
Exchange and completion
If you go ahead, contracts are exchanged and the sale completes on the agreed terms.
Land without planning permission in St Austell: common questions
Who pays for the planning application?
On a subject-to-planning contract or an option agreement, we normally pay for the application and the reports that go with it. Under an option, agreed costs may later be deducted from the price; any deduction is capped and set out in the heads of terms.
What if planning is refused?
That depends on the deal. Under a conditional contract we can usually decide whether to appeal, re-apply or walk away; if we walk away you keep your land.
Can an agent introduce land in St Austell to you?
Yes. Estate agents, land agents and planning consultants can introduce sites with the owner's consent. Any fee is agreed in writing before details are shared, confirmed by the owner in writing and paid only on completion.
Do I need to pay anything to have land in St Austell assessed?
No. Our appraisal is free and there is no obligation to sell to us.
